Sunday, May 30, 2010

Blog Challenge: Joyful Noise

Psalm 98:4 "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise."

I have really been thinking about this verse, there is so much 'noise' in the world that does not make us think of joy, of rejoicing or of singing praise. There is physical noise, there is emotional noise and there is spiritual noise. There are distractions, noise if you will, that keeps us from really being able to enjoy the joyful noises around us.

Does the noise of the world around you keep distracting you from making and enjoying the joyful noises? Does the to do list stop you from enjoying the laughter of your child? Does the busy noise of being a good hostess keep you from enjoying the noise of fellowship?

When we are going to stop and listen to the joyful noises around us? If we are going to make joyful noises we need to be able to hear them! When you praise God are you making joyful noises? I think Creation sings His praises all the time, and sadly we don't often take the time to hear them.

What are some joyful noises?

Birdsong at 5 am

Frogs singing at dusk

Dogs barking for joy

Purring of kittens

Nicker of horses

Humming wings of a hummingbird

Laughter of a child

Laughter with a child

Splashes in mud puddles

Boiling kettle

All of these sounds are, to me, full of comfort and joy. They, like the whisper of a lilac's last scent in the evening, remind me of the good and precious in the small things every day. God blesses us the same ways He clothes the lilies and breathes air under the wings of sparrows - fully, completely and with total joy.

God holds nothing back in His love for us and the expressions of His Joy in His Creation are multitude.

Sadly, so many miss the beauty of a butterfly racing to catch a dollar. They miss the love in a crayon drawing looking for the perfection of a spreadsheet. Not that spreadsheets and dollars don't have value - they can and they do. But they can also be distracting noise that keeps us from making and hearing joyful noises.

Psalm 98:4 "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise."

What shall we do to encourage each other then, to seek and share the joyful noises? How then shall we create in our world a place to make joyful noises?

This blog began as a challenge to write about the verse, and now I continue the challenge to you...where do you hear joyful noises? Where are you going to make joyful noises? I'll be sharing in the weeks to come photos and stories about some joyful noises in our world that bring us to praise Him with our own joyful noises!

My sisters in Christ are blogging this challenge with me, come and read more and join us at: "Sisters In Spirit" on CafeMom.com